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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29724600">After the End</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/GalacticTwink/pseuds/GalacticTwink'>GalacticTwink</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Hermitcraft RPF</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Fluff and Angst, In-character, M/M, Temporary Character Death, Watcher Charles | Grian, Watcher Xisumavoid, grian POV, idk how to tag this</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 06:56:00</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,164</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29724600</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/GalacticTwink/pseuds/GalacticTwink</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Grian thinks he's ready to go back to the end by himself, just for a minute, but stepping foot in the dimension is too much for him and he needs someone to pull him back to earth before he falls through completely</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Charles | Grian/Xisumavoid</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>107</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>After the End</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>I look down at my materials list with a sigh. It hasn’t changed, the last few detail blocks I need staring back at me. I really need to finish here, there’s no putting it off any longer. Popping through the shopping district for what feels like the thousanth day in a row only makes my heart sink further, the chest in lamps+ that should have what I need still empty- not even a diamond left inside.</p>
<p>I take the long way, flying higher in the Nether than I usually would to calm my nerves; swooping around lava streams and ducking through narrow tunnels left by other hermits until my feet land squarely in front of the portal I’m looking for. It ripples around me, the ashy air of the Nether snatched from my lungs and replaced by the sweet smell of honey.</p>
<p>I skip the slide today, sailing straight down to perch on the edge of the otherworldly void- the swirl of the universe calling out to me from below. Am I ready for this? To go alone? I check to see if Mumbo is online, but he’s long logged out for the night. There are others, but no one who’s seen me like this before. I can’t do that today. I quickly throw most of my things in my ender chest, carefully folding my elytra and tucking it safely away inside. I won’t be needing them.</p>
<p>It still feels like coming home in a strange way, the thick portal chilling me to the bone as I plunge through it into the end of this server.</p>
<p>I can’t stop my shoulders from relaxing, a familiar weight pulling them down that I’ve missed. But that’s the only thing I wish I could bring with me, the chill settling along my skin and the itch behind my eyes making me squirm as I appear on the other side of the portal. It’s so bright, a dull purple glow tinting everything around me as I look around- my eyes shining the ethereal light along my path to help me make my trek into the End.</p>
<p>The ender ender towers over me as I go by, the industrial structure always making me shutter. Poor creatures. I can hear the ender mite inside the farm squealing, a jumble of half baked words and sentences. Endermen hang around the outside of the building, blinking at me as I pass. I clear my throat.</p>
<p>“<em>May peace find you,”</em><span> my voice is a bit garbled, the words foreign on my tongue after so long. The slender figure repeats the words back to me like an echo, dissapearing as it utters the last syllable. </span><span>I leave the farm, twisting my fingers together as I leave the more hermit-inhabited area near spawn. Maybe this will be okay. Walking by, I skim my fingers along a wall left behind by someone else’s journey through the End. </span><span>Past the dragon’s spawn point, the heart of the Hermit’s interference with the natural End, are the pocket portals. I don’t need to use them really, my wings never run out of durability like an elytra, but they’re such a rush.. why not? I used to love these things. </span></p>
<p>
  <span>A quick ender pearl sends me hurtling through the void, stale wind rushing through my hair and ruffling my feathers. </span>
  <span>It’s dark here. No torches or outside blocks placed, the natural landscape of The End stretching on to the edges of my render distance. I can hear the void humming behind me, whispering sweet words inside my head- beckoning me out towards the deeper end. I’m nowhere near the outskirts, they shouldn’t be able to reach me here. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>I shake my head, carrying on to the first chorus plant I see. I only need a few. </span>
  <span>A quick swing of my axe </span>
  <span>shatters the plant, ripe fruits raining down around me. As I gather up armfuls of them, I’m tempted to eat one. Chorus fruit aren’t the best food in any department, </span>
  <span>but the fuzzy feeling after you eat one just can’t be replicated by anything from the overworld. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Following the trail of plants I wander further into the end, sailing across a few islands for taller plants </span>
  <span>until I can’t see the pocket portal I came from anymore. </span>
  <span>But I fill up my shulker boxes, making sure I don’t have to come back anytime soon, and look around. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Which way did I come from? </span>
  <span>My stomach flips. No, it should just be this way- I can follow the islands with no chorus plants left. </span>
  <span>But the longer I fly, the heavier my chest feels- the void beneath me seeming to grow darker with each flap of my wings. There’s no landmarks left, stopping to gather my bearings only turning me around more. </span>
</p>
<p>“<em>Xelqua…” </em><span>I swerve, dipping in the air as a voice slides through my head. No, I can’t be that far out. How long have I been here? My communicator buzzes at my wrist, but when I look at it the letters on the screen look jumbled. What does it say? </span></p>
<p>“<em>Come closer..”</em><span> I close my screen, making a sharp turn in any direction just to get away from them. If that way was closer, I’d rather go anywhere else. </span><span>Maybe I should land. Look at my coordinates. A small island is good enough, my wings tucking against my back as I land. </span></p>
<p>
  <span>M</span>
  <span>y knees buckle as soon as my feet hit the ground, dumping me ungracefully onto the spongy stone being held up by nothing. How high up am I? How low? Is the air different out here? I pull at the neck of my sweater, desperately trying to gasp down more air with every breath until my own breathing is all I can hear in the void surrounding me- drowning out the low hum and the voices whispering in my ear. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Where was the last place I slept?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The thought is clear inside my head, like a drop against the bottom of an empty bucket, bringing me a moment of clarity. I brought my ender chest. I put away the boxes of fruit I collected before I think about what I’m doing, the blank pit of nothing staring up at me bringing me to my senses as I step up to the edge. Do I really want to do this? Will it even work? I haven’t fallen into the void on this server before. Will it be the same as before, or am I the same as the others now? Would Xisuma be able to bring me back if it doesn’t work?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>I close my eyes.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The air is freezing, my wings wrapping around my body as I plunge into the void beneath my small island. I can feel the hissing, low voice wrap around me- sweet words welcoming me as I fall further into it. I speak back, words snatched from my throat- surrendered to the void before they reach my own ears. Only the feeling of galactic against my tongue left for me, resting in my mouth like a thick poison I was once able to drink with ease. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <span>Grian has fallen out of the world.</span>
  </b>
</p>
<p>
  <span>I gasp, bolting straight up to open my eyes. The void stares back at me. No. </span>
  <span>I close my eyes and open them again. My palms are laying flat against the soft end stone. I woke up on the same small island, thousands of blocks from my home. </span>
</p>
<p>“<em>Don’t be so reckless Xelqua,”</em><span> I cover my ears.</span><em> “You know what happens to mortal ones when they fall into us.” “We saved you, Xelqua. You aren’t one of them.”</em><span> no, no no. I rock up to my feet again, tucking my head down towards my chest as I barrel back down off the edge of my island. </span></p>
<p>
  <span>
    <b>Grian has fallen out of the world.</b>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>I wake with a start, gasping to catch my breath. Still nothing. Still here. What do I do? How do I get out? My communicator buzzes a few times in quick succession. I twist my wrist, letting the display open up in front of me. I’m still having trouble reading the English text, my eyes taking a moment to translate the messages. It seems like I missed a few while I was out here. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Xisumavoid joined the server.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>&lt;JoeHillsSays&gt; Howdy!</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>&lt;FalseSymmetry&gt; Hello!</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Grian has fallen out of the world.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>&lt;ZombieCleo&gt; ???</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>&lt;FalseSymmetry&gt; Grian?</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Grian has fallen out of the world.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>&lt;XisumaVoid&gt; Grian?</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>&lt;XisumaVoid whispers to you&gt; Are you alright?</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>&lt;Grian&gt; help</em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>I fumble to type a message, fingers trembling over the keyboard. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>&lt;Grian&gt; lost inth e end</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Server: XisumaVoid temeported to you.</em>
</p>
<p>“Grian?” X pops into existence beside me, wings flaring out behind him as they’re unveiled by the void. I look up at him, tears welling up in my eyes.</p>
<p>“Are you-” I launch myself at him, burying my face against his chest. End particles are still clinging to him, the purple dust disappearing as I touch it. Xisuma stands ridged for a moment before reacting, gathering me up in his arms and holding me tightly. I choke out a sob when I feel his wings wrap around me, shielding me from the endless void around us.</p>
<p>We stand together for a while, Xisuma’s grasp retreating when I pull away to give me some space. And I just look at him. Soft downy wings shimmering in the low light, spanning out impressively around him- far bigger than mine. Almost without meaning to I flare my wings, spreading them out to their full span.</p>
<p>“Grian,” Xisuma unclasps his helmet at the base, pulling it over his head to look at me without the tinted glass blocking his view- eyes wide and concerned and pouring out a bright blue light from his blown pupils. Does he have pupils? I’ve never been able to tell.</p>
<p>“What are you doing out here?” he tears his eyes away from me to look around, my island the only land in either of our render distance’s. I gesture helplessly towards my ender chest, my handprints on the outside of the box outlined with the glowing juice of chorus fruits.</p>
<p>“By yourself? Impulse has a chorus farm in the overworld- you could’ve asked him! Did they see you?” he moves closer to cup my face, leaning over me to search my eyes. I nod once. I expected him to look angry, or dissapointed, or something. Instead his expression barely changes, eyes softening as I struggle to meet them. His thumb strokes across my cheek, my head tilting into the gentle gesture.</p>
<p>“<span><span>It’s okay.” Xisuma pulls me closer to him, a hand firmly on my hip. God, he’s stunning. A galaxy of stars specked across Xisuma’s face, twinkling in the dull light of the final dimension only to be broken up by jagged scars slashed across his pretty face. I reach out to touch one, the biggest mark stretching from my admin’s temple straight across to his opposite cheek; dipping over the bridge of his nose and curving out towards the corner of his mouth lazily. He’s never told me about this, or any of them. I’ve never asked. I know where he came from well enough already.</span></span></p>
<p>“<span><span>I’m sorry.” my voice is hoarse, eyes threatening to spill over with tears again. I know X is more comfortable out here than I am, but for him to have to come all the way out here just to get me..</span></span></p>
<p>“<span><span>It’s alright, Grian, it’s okay. Everything will be okay. I’ll protect you.” I can feel Xisuma’s admin magic, thick in the air around me as he veils me from their sight. Just him being here should be enough, he doesn’t need to waste it like that. They wouldn’t whisk me away right in front of my admin, they were never that bold.</span></span></p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>Xisuma’s magic seeps into my skin, repressing my nerves and forcing my shoulders to relax. </span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>“<span><span>X..” he shushes me, wiping away a stray tear trail from my face. </span></span></p>
<p>“<span><span>Are you ready? Can you fly?” his voice is hushed and almost gentle enough to make me cry. I nod, letting Xisuma help me to my feet. His magic is still tingling inside me, keeping me from getting too anxious as I look around. My fingers squeeze X’s hand, his </span></span><span><span>presence</span></span><span><span> beside me making the void a little less scary. I can feel him looking at me as I get ready to take off, Xisuma’s arms wrapping around me just before I can leave the ground- sweeping me off my feet and pulling me tightly against Xisuma’s chest. </span></span></p>
<p>“<span><span>Wh-hey! I told you I could fly!” “I heard you,” he responds smugly, holding me closer. I can feel his heart beating, a low rumble in his chest that draws me in. With a single flap of his massive wings we’re off, arms clasping me so tightly as we fly over the void back towards the populated server. But this time, it doesn’t feel so lonely. </span></span></p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This is my first try at dipping into the watcher lore!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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